Sex-specific bacterial microbiome variation in octopus vulgaris skin.

Growing knowledge of the host-microbiota of vertebrates has shown the prevalence of sex-specific differences in the microbiome. However, there are virtually no studies assessing sex-associated variation in the microbiome of cephalopods. Here we assess sex-specific variation in the common octopus () skin microbiome using amplicon sequencing targeting the V4 hypervariable region of prokaryote 16S rRNA genes.

De novo transcriptome reconstruction in aquacultured early life stages of the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris.

Cephalopods have been considered enigmatic animals that have attracted the attention of scientists from different areas of expertise. However, there are still many questions to elucidate the way of life of these invertebrates. The aim of this study is to construct a reference transcriptome in Octopus vulgaris early life stages to enrich existing databases and provide a new dataset that can be reused by other researchers in the field.

Can Cephalopods Vomit? Hypothesis Based on a Review of Circumstantial Evidence and Preliminary Experimental Observations.

In representative species of all vertebrate classes, the oral ejection of upper digestive tract contents by vomiting or regurgitation is used to void food contaminated with toxins or containing indigestible material not voidable in the feces. Vomiting or regurgitation has been reported in a number of invertebrate marine species (, , and ), prompting consideration of whether cephalopods have this capability. This "hypothesis and theory" paper reviews four lines of supporting evidence: (1) the mollusk sharing some digestive tract morphological and innervation similarities with is able to vomit or regurgitate with the mechanisms well characterized, providing an example of motor program switching; (2) a rationale for vomiting or regurgitation in cephalopods based upon the potential requirement to void indigestible material, which may cause damage and ejection of toxin contaminated food; (3) anecdotal reports (including from the literature) of vomiting- or regurgitation-like behavior in several species of cephalopod (, , , and ); and (4) anatomical and physiological studies indicating that ejection of gastric/crop contents the buccal cavity is a theoretical possibility by retroperistalsis in the upper digestive tract (esophagus, crop, and stomach).

A practical staging atlas to study embryonic development of Octopus vulgaris under controlled laboratory conditions.

Background: Octopus vulgaris has been an iconic cephalopod species for neurobiology research as well as for cephalopod aquaculture. It is one of the most intelligent and well-studied invertebrates, possessing both long- and short-term memory and the striking ability to perform complex cognitive tasks. Nevertheless, how the common octopus developed these uncommon features remains enigmatic.

Methyl-end desaturases with ∆12 and ω3 regioselectivities enable the de novo PUFA biosynthesis in the cephalopod Octopus vulgaris.

The interest in understanding the capacity of aquatic invertebrates to biosynthesise omega-3 (ω3) long-chain (≥C) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) has increased in recent years. Using the common octopus Octopus vulgaris as a model species, we previously characterised a ∆5 desaturase and two elongases (i.e.

The Digestive Tract of Cephalopods: a Neglected Topic of Relevance to Animal Welfare in the Laboratory and Aquaculture.

Maintenance of health and welfare of a cephalopod is essential whether it is in a research, aquaculture or public display. The inclusion of cephalopods in the European Union legislation (Directive 2010/63/EU) regulating the use of animals for scientific purposes has prompted detailed consideration and review of all aspects of the care and welfare of cephalopods in the laboratory but the information generated will be of utility in other settings. We overview a wide range of topics of relevance to cephalopod digestive tract physiology and their relationship to the health and welfare of these animals.

The Digestive Tract of Cephalopods: Toward Non-invasive Monitoring of Its Physiology.

Ensuring the health and welfare of animals in research is paramount, and the normal functioning of the digestive tract is essential for both. Here we critically assess non- or minimally-invasive techniques which may be used to assess a cephalopod's digestive tract functionality to inform health monitoring. We focus on: (i) predatory response as an indication of appetitive drive; (ii) body weight assessment and interpretation of deviations (e.

Time Course of Metabolic Capacities in Paralarvae of the Common Octopus, , in the First Stages of Life. Searching Biomarkers of Nutritional Imbalance.

The culture of the common octopus () is promising since the species has a relatively short lifecycle, rapid growth, and high food conversion ratios. However, recent attempts at successful paralarvae culture have failed due to slow growth and high mortality rates. Establishing an optimal nutritional regime for the paralarvae seems to be the impeding step in successful culture methods.

Dietary Effect on the Proteome of the Common Octopus () Paralarvae.

Nowadays, the common octopus () culture is hampered by massive mortalities occurring during early life-cycle stages (paralarvae). Despite the causes of the high paralarvae mortality are not yet well-defined and understood, the nutritional stress caused by inadequate diets is pointed out as one of the main factors. In this study, the effects of diet on paralarvae is analyzed through a proteomic approach, to search for novel biomarkers of nutritional stress.

Epigenetic DNA Methylation Mediating Early Development: Effect of Essential Fatty Acids Enriched Diet.

The common octopus, , is a good candidate for aquaculture but a sustainable production is still unviable due to an almost total mortality during the paralarvae stage. DNA methylation regulates gene expression in the eukaryotic genome, and has been shown to exhibit plasticity throughout life cycle, changing profiles from paralarvae to adult stages. This pattern of methylation could be sensitive to small alterations in nutritional and environmental conditions during the species early development, thus impacting on its health, growth and survival.

Comparative study on fatty acid metabolism of early stages of two crustacean species: Artemia sp. metanauplii and Grapsus adscensionis zoeae, as live prey for marine animals.

The present study compared the lipid composition and in vivo capability of Artemia sp. metanauplii (the main live prey used in aquaculture) and Grapsus adscensionis zoeae (as a wild zooplankton model) to metabolise unsaturated fatty acids. The two species were incubated in vivo with 0.

Composition and metabolism of phospholipids in Octopus vulgaris and Sepia officinalis hatchlings.

The objective of the present study was to characterise the fatty acid (FA) profiles of the major phospholipids, of Octopus vulgaris and Sepia officinalis hatchlings, namely phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylinositol (PI) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE); and to evaluate the capability of both cephalopod species on dietary phospholipid remodelling. Thus, O. vulgaris and S.

Model based optimization of feeding regimens in aquaculture: application to the improvement of Octopus vulgaris viability in captivity.

The culture of common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), one important candidate to the aquaculture diversification, faces significant difficulties, mainly related with an inadequate first development stages diet. A mathematical model integrating disperse information on the nutrient composition throughout the species ontogenic development as well as on the effects of broodstock feeding and diet composition data of O. vulgaris, allowed us to predict the time evolution of paralarvae nutritional composition in terms of protein and lipid fractions and to design an optimal diet composition with the objective to ensure the maximal survival.

Selective polyunsaturated fatty acids enrichment in phospholipids from neuronal-derived cell lines.

Most studies aimed at exploring the molecular and cellular properties of plasma membranes in neural tissues make use of cell lines. However, cell membrane lipid composition of cell lines is notably different from that of brain tissues where they presumably derive from. Using septal-derived SN56 cells and hippocampal-derived HT22 cells, we demonstrated that cell lines exhibit lower contents of saturated (18:0) and long polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA; 20:4n-6 and especially 22:6n-3), as well as higher monounsaturated fatty acid contents (mainly 18:1n-9), compared to mouse brain.

Changes in lipid class and fatty acid composition during development in white seabream (Diplodus sargus) eggs and larvae.

To establish the changes which occur during embryogenesis and early larvae development, eggs, yolk-sac larvae (one day old larvae) and absorbed yolk-sac larvae (three day old larvae) of white sea bream were examined for lipid class and fatty acid composition. The development was characterized by a decrease in all lipid classes with the exception of phosphatidylserine (PS) and fatty free acids (FFA) which increased, and sphingomyelin (SM) which remained unchanged. The changes observed in lipid class content and the decrease in fatty acids in total lipid (TL) reflect the utilization and mobilization of lipids during both embryogenesis and early larvae development.

Lipid and fatty acid composition of muscle and liver from wild and captive mature female broodstocks of white seabream, Diplodus sargus.

Total lipids (TL), lipid classes, and their associated fatty acids from muscle and liver of captive and wild mature female broodstocks were investigated in order to estimate the fatty acid requirements of white seabream (Diplodus sargus). The results showed that the percentage of triacylglycerol was higher in liver and muscle of captive fish than in wild fish. The distribution of phospholipid classes in liver and muscle of both fish groups was similar, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol being the predominant lipid classes.